News Highlights from the Last 7 Days: Nov 23

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plans to appoint state Rep. Kyra Harris Bolden to the Michigan Supreme Court, a spokesman said Tuesday, making her the first Black woman to serve on the state’s highest court. Bolden, who hails from the Detroit area, was a Democratic nominee for the Supreme Court in the Nov. 8 election but finished third in a race for two seats. She will replace Justice Bridget McCormack, who is resigning. “She will bring a unique perspective to our high court as a Black woman — and as a new working mom — that has too long been left out,” Whitmer said. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Rep. Kyra Harris Bolden

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered a near-Shermanesque statement that she won't run for president in 2024. Whitmer defeated GOP candidate Tudor Dixon by 11 points on Nov. 8, leading the way against a GOP “red wave” in Michigan. The New York Times and others quickly named her one of the top three or four contenders if President Biden doesn’t seek reelection. However, Whitmer told the Detroit Free Press she does not foresee herself ever running for president. 

J.W. Sexton High School

The Lansing School District Board of Education may reconsider its choice for J.W. Sexton High School’s new mascot following backlash from community members. In July, the school announced it would choose a new character to replace the Native American-themed “Big Reds” mascot. After polling more than 2,500 students, staff and community members on four mascot ideas, “J-Dubbs,” named for the late educator Jay Wesley Sexton, won the most votes. But the school board chose the runner-up, the “Scorpions,” as the school’s new mascot. Some community members voiced concerns about not being represented in the selection process at the school board’s meeting Thursday. The discussion has been postponed until the next meeting on Dec. 1. 

Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency fined ACT Laboratories Inc., a Lansing-based cannabis testing laboratory, $9,000 for failing to comply with deadlines for reporting annual financial statements. Reports were due 30 days after the end of the state’s fiscal year on Sept. 30 last year, but the agency says the laboratory didn’t submit the statements until Nov. 19. The CRA left a message with the laboratory’s Lansing office. ACT Laboratories, which is located across the Northeast and Midwest, was one of 12 licensed companies to receive formal complaints or disciplinary action from the agency.